2012 MLB Draft Results
After months of anticipation, it's finally time for MLB's amateur draft. This year's draft may not have the depth of last year’s class or the star power of a Bryce Harper or Stephen Strasburg, but it’ll likely produce its share of MLB talent in the coming years.
Last year's draft saw the Pirates select UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole with the No. 1 overall pick. Early reports this year suggested that the Astros would select Stanford righty Mark Appel first overall, but Houston shocked most pundits by selecting Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa. We'll use this post to track the news as it breaks.
Here's the draft order, from MLB.com, to be updated whenever a player agrees to terms:
- Houston Astros - Carlos Correa, SS, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy – signed for $4.8MM
- Minnesota Twins – Byron Buxton, OF, Appling County High School (Ga.) – signed for $6MM
- Seattle Mariners – Mike Zunino, C, Florida – signed for $4MM.
- Baltimore Orioles – Kevin Gausman, RHP, Louisiana State – agreed to sign for $4.32MM
- Kansas City Royals – Kyle Zimmer, RHP, San Francisco – signed for $3MM
- Chicago Cubs – Albert Almora, Mater Academy (Fla.) – agreed to sign for $3.9MM
- San Diego Padres – Max Fried, LHP, Harvard-Westlake High School (Calif.) – agreed to sign for $3MM
- Pittsburgh Pirates – Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford – did not reach an agreement
- Miami Marlins – Andrew Heaney, LHP, Oklahoma State – agreed to sign for $2.6MM
- Colorado Rockies – David Dahl, Oak Mountain High School (Ala.) – agreed to sign for $2.6MM
- Oakland Athletics – Addison Russell, SS, Pace High School (Fla.) – agreed to sign for $2.625MM
- New York Mets – Gavin Cecchini, SS, Barbe High School (La.) – agreed to sign for $2.3MM
- Chicago White Sox – Courtney Hawkins, OF, Carroll High School (Tex.) – agreed to sign for $2.475MM
- Cincinnati Reds – Nick Travieso, RHP, Archbishop McCarthy High School (Fla.) – agreed to sign for $2MM
- Cleveland Indians – Tyler Naquin, OF, Texas A&M – agreed to sign for $1.75MM
- Washington Nationals - Lucas Giolito, RHP, Harvard-Westlake High School (Calif.) – agreed to sign for $2.925MM
- Toronto Blue Jays – D.J. Davis, OF, Stone County High School (Miss.) – signed for $1.75MM
- Los Angeles Dodgers – Corey Seager, SS, Northwest Cabarrus High School (N.C.) - agreed to sign for $2.35MM
- St. Louis Cardinals – Michael Wacha, RHP, Texas A&M – agreed to sign for $1.9MM
- San Francisco Giants – Chris Stratton, RHP, Mississippi State – signed for $1.85MM
- Atlanta Braves – Lucas Sims, RHP, Brookwood High School (Ga.) – signed for $1.65MM
- Toronto Blue Jays – Marcus Stroman, RHP, Duke – signed for $1.8MM
- St. Louis Cardinals – James Ramsey, OF, Florida State – agreed to sign for $1.6MM
- Boston Red Sox – Deven Marrero, SS, Arizona State – agreed to sign for $2.05MM
- Tampa Bay Rays – Richie Shaffer, 1B/3B, Clemson – signed for $1.7125MM
- Arizona Diamondbacks – Stryker Trahan, C, Acadiana High School (La.) – agreed to sign for $1.7MM
- Milwaukee Brewers – Clint Coulter, C, Union High School (Wash.) – signed for $1.675MM
- Milwaukee Brewers – Victor Roache, OF, Georgia Southern – signed for $1.525MM
- Texas Rangers – Lewis Brinson, OF, Coral Springs High School (Fla.) – agreed to sign for $1.625MM
- New York Yankees – Ty Hensley, RHP, Santa Fe High School (Okla.) – signed for $1.2MM
- Boston Red Sox – Brian Johnson, LHP, Florida - signed for $1.575MM
Top Picks Brinson, Barnum Close To Deals
11:15pm: Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune adds White Sox supplemental round pick Keon Barnum (No. 48 overall) to the list of today's draft picks that are near a deal (Twitter link).
11:09pm: The Rangers selected Lewis Brinson, an outfielder out of Coral Springs High School in Florida, with the No. 29 overall pick in tonight's draft, and MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan writes that Brinson says he and the Rangers are already close to a deal.
Brinson has a full scholarship to the University of Florida, but it appears he will forego that commitment to join the Rangers organization, according to Sullivan.
The 6'4", 185 pound Brinson has an athletic frame that led Baseball America's Conor Glassey to note comparisons to Cameron Maybin in his write-up following Brinson's selection. Glassey writes that Brinson is still raw at the plate, but his long limbs allow him to cover ample ground in center field and give him "intriguing power potential."
BA's Jim Callis and Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus both had Brinson going 26th overall to the Diamondbacks in their final mock drafts, while MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and ESPN's Keith Law had him slipping out of the first round.
Dave Bush Opts Out Of Contract To Pitch In Korea
Dave Bush has opted out of his contract with the Phillies and will pursue an opportunity in Korea, Phillies Triple-A manager Ryne Sandberg confirmed to reporters, including CSNPhilly's Jim Salisbury (Twitter link). Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net informs MLBTR that Bush will be replacing former big leaguer Aquilino Lopez on the roster of the SK Wyverns.
Bush, 32, signed a minor league deal with the Phillies this offseason and has spent the year pitching for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The right-hander has pitched to a 3.16 ERA, 5.3 K/9 and 1.1 BB/9 in 62 2/3 innings of work for the IronPigs. He last saw Major League action as a member of the Rangers in 2011 when he posted a 5.79 ERA in 37 1/3 innings. Bush is represented by Turner Gary Sports.
2012 Supplemental Round Results
We’ll track the results of the 2012 supplemental first round right here. Click here for the results of the first round. Now for the supplemental round (order via MLB.com)…
32. Minnesota Twins (for Michael Cuddyer) – Jose Orlando Berrios, RHP, Papa Juan XXIII HS (Puerto Rico) – agreed to sign for $1.55MM
33. San Diego Padres (for Heath Bell) – Zach Eflin, RHP, Haggerty High School, (Fla.) – to sign for $1.2MM
34. Oakland Athletics (for Josh Willingham) – Daniel Robertson, SS, Upland High School (Calif.) – agreed to sign for $1.5MM
35. New York Mets (for Jose Reyes) – Kevin Plawecki, C, Purdue – agreed to sign for $1.4MM
36. St. Louis Cardinals (for Albert Pujols) – Stephen Piscotty, 3B, Stanford – to sign for $1.4MM
37. Boston Red Sox (for Jonathan Papelbon) – Pat Light, RHP, Monmount – agreed to sign for $1MM
38. Milwaukee Brewers (for Prince Fielder) – Mitch Haniger, OF, Cal Poly – agreed to sign for $1.2MM
39. Texas Rangers (for C.J. Wilson) – Joey Gallo, 3B, Bishop Gorman High School (Nev.) - agreed to sign for $2.25MM
40. Philadelphia Phillies (for Ryan Madson) – Shane Watson, RHP, Lakewood High School (Calif.) – agreed to sign for $1.29MM.
41. Houston Astros (for Clint Barmes) – Lance McCullers Jr., Jesuit High School (Fla.) – agreed to sign for $2.5MM
42. Minnesota Twins (for Jason Kubel) – Luke Bard, RHP, Georgia Tech - signed for $1.227MM
43. Chicago Cubs (for Aramis Ramirez) – Pierce Johnson, RHP, Missouri State – signed for $1.196MM
44. San Diego Padres (for Aaron Harang) – Travis Jankowski, OF, Stony Brook – agreed to sign for $975K
45. Pittsburgh Pirates (for Ryan Doumit) – Barrett Barnes, OF, Texas Tech – agreed to sign for $1MM
46. Colorado Rockies (for Mark Ellis) – Eddie Butler, RHP, Radford - signed for $1MM
47. Oakland Athletics (for David DeJesus) – Matt Olson, 1B, Parkview High School (Ga.) – agreed to sign for $1.08MM
48. Chicago White Sox (for Mark Buehrle) – Keon Barnum, 1B, King High School (Fla.) – agreed to terms for $950K
49. Cincinnati Reds (for Ramon Hernandez) – Jesse Winker, OF, Olympia High School (Fla.) – signed for $1MM
50. Toronto Blue Jays (for Frank Francisco) – Matt Smoral, LHP, Solon High School (Ohio) – agreed to terms for $2MM
51. Los Angeles Dodgers (for Rod Barajas) – Jesmuel Valentin, SS, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy – agreed to sign for $985K
52. St. Louis Cardinals (for Octavio Dotel) – Patrick Wisdom, 3B, St. Mary's – signed for $693K
53. Texas Rangers (for Darren Oliver) – Collin Wiles, RHP, Blue Valley West High School (Kan.) - agreed to sign for $975K
54. Philadelphia Phillies (for Raul Ibanez) – Mitch Gueller, RHP, WF West High School (Wash.) – agreed to sign for $940K.
55. San Diego Padres (for Brett Austin) – Walker Weickel, RHP, Olympia High School (Fla.) – signed for $2MM
56. Chicago Cubs (for Carlos Pena) – Paul Blackburn, RHP, Heritage High School (Calif.) – agreed to sign for $912K
57. Cincinnati Reds (for Francisco Cordero) – Jeff Gelalich, OF, UCLA – agreed to sign for $825K
58. Toronto Blue Jays (for Jon Rauch) – Mitch Nay, 3B, Hamilton High School (Ariz.) - signed
59. St. Louis Cardinals (for Edwin Jackson) – Steve Bean, C, Rockwall High School (Tex.) – agreed to sign for $700K
60. Toronto Blue Jays (for Jose Molina) – Tyler Gonzales, RHP, James Madison High School (Tex.) - signed for $750K
Draft Links: Correa, Braves, Appel, Red Sox
The 2012 amateur draft kicks off soon, and yesterday we heard that the Astros are expected to select Stanford right-hander Mark Appel with the first overall pick. Here's the latest news on the event, starting with an update on the first overall selection…
- MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo has heard a lot of chatter about Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa going first overall to the Astros (Twitter link). He feels it's posturing, however, and that Appel is still their selection.
- The Braves are likely to select a college player with their first round pick (No. 21), according to the sources of MLB.com's Mark Bowman (on Twitter). As Bowman notes, Mayo has Atlanta selecting Texas A&M outfielder Tyler Naquin.
- Though the Astros appear to have identified Appel as their top choice, they could move on to other options if the right-hander doesn’t show a willingness to sign at Houston’s price, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports.
- WEEI.com's Alex Speier provided a breakdown of the new rules implemented by the new collective bargaining agreement, and also a primer on what the Red Sox may do.
- The Cardinals have five picks in the first and supplemental first round, and Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote about their possible plan of attack.
- The Phillies hope to land a college hitter who can reach the majors in short order with their first pick, writes David Murphy of The Philadelphia Daily News. They pick 40th overall after forfeiting their first rounder to sign Jonathan Papelbon.
- Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic tells us what to expect from the Diamondbacks on draft day. "The boring, standard answer is we’re going to pick the best player available," said scouting director Ray Montgomery.
- Nationals assistant general manager Roy Clark spoke to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post about the difference between picking first overall (like the Nats did in 2009 and 2010) and picking in the middle of the first round (like they'll do this year).
- Curious about all the draft picks that changed hands via free agent compensation this year? The full draft order can be found at River Ave. Blues.
Quick Hits: White Sox, Diamondbacks, Mets
It’s draft day, which means lots of coverage on MLBTR. I’ll be hosting a live chat throughout the evening, so come by and discuss the latest picks as they’re announced. MLBTR’s Steve Adams will be updating posts with each selection, so you’ll be able to see everything at a glance. Here are some non-draft links as we await the big event…
- The White Sox are expected to target veteran bullpen help if they're in a position to add to their roster in July, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
- Knobler hears the Diamondbacks will call top pitching prospect Trevor Bauer up “soon” (Twitter link).
- The Red Sox called the Diamondbacks about Joe Saunders after Arizona acquired the left-hander in 2010, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. One MLB executive can imagine a trade involving Saunders and Kevin Youkilis, though the person doubts the Diamondbacks would be interested in taking on considerable salary or parting with a significant prospect.
- The Mets will likely make three roster moves Tuesday, when Miguel Batista, Jason Bay and Chris Young are expected to return, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports (on Twitter). The club will have to create 40-man roster space for Young.
- The Tigers should have a better idea of what, if anything, Victor Martinez can offer in 2012 by late July, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets.
Jason Pridie Elects Free Agency
Outfielder Jason Pridie has asked the Athletics for his release and the team has granted his request, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned. Pridie signed with the A's last offseason but didn't play a game in the Oakland organization following a 50-game suspension for a drug violation.
Pridie, 28, appeared in 101 games for the Mets last year, posting a .231/.309/.370 batting line in 236 plate appearances and playing all three outfield positions. He also has MLB experience with the Twins.
Padres Sign Ross Ohlendorf
The Padres signed Ross Ohlendorf to a Major League contract, the team announced. As expected, the Padres designated right-hander Matt Palmer for assignment in a corresponding move.
Ohlendorf opted out of his minor league contract with the Red Sox over the weekend and became a free agent. The 29-year-old had a 4.61 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 52 2/3 innings over the course of ten starts for Boston's Triple-A affiliate before obtaining his release. He started 50 games for the Pirates from 2009-10, but Pittsburgh non-tendered him following the 2011 season.
Rockies Interested In Jeff Francis
Ten years ago this month the Rockies made Jeff Francis the ninth overall selection in the 2002 draft. Now general manager Dan O'Dowd has interest in signing the left-hander as a free agent, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
"We are interested; I have no idea of the outcome of that interest," O’Dowd said.
The Reds released Francis this morning after he opted out of his contract. He posted a 3.72 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 77 1/3 innings at Triple-A before being granted his release. He could re-sign in Cincinnati if he doesn’t obtain a Major League deal elsewhere, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes (on Twitter).
Francis, 31, pitched for the Rockies from 2004-10. He posted a 4.22 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 215 1/3 innings for the 2007 team that won the National League pennant.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Bowden, Hall
The latest outright assignments from around MLB…
- The Cubs outrighted Michael Bowden to Triple-A after the right-hander cleared waivers, MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reports (on Twitter). The Cubs had designated Bowden for assignment last week.
- The Orioles outrighted Bill Hall to Triple-A Norfolk after the utility player cleared waivers, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (Twitter links). The Orioles signed Hall to a minor league deal in April and they've designated him for assignment twice since then.